Victory Ride has special meaning: Letters to the editor

July 26, 2014 12:01 AM

July 26, 2014 12:01 AM

Erie Homes for Children and Adults has been an Erie institution for more than 100 years, and I'm sure our founders wouldn't have imagined the individuals they cared for loving motorcycles and wanting to be a part of something like Roar on the Shore. But they do.

Two of our residents had always dreamed of riding a motorcycle and finally had a chance to ride in summer 2013. The groups that rode with them thought they needed to do something more -- and the Victory Ride was born. Now, not only will local bikers be able to enjoy a destination ride to Titusville this September (including an after-party for people who want to participate but don't ride), but our residents and program participants could be a part of a parade like Bringin' In the Roar.

We have posted signs all over town and hope people want to be involved with the Victory Ride, which celebrates the victories that individuals with disabilities experience every day, big or small. Information is available by calling the EHCA office, checking our website, and on Facebook.

I have loved this idea since I first heard it, and have been helping our volunteer event coordinator and committee. These are people who love to ride, but also want to make a difference for people with disabilities. Any proceeds from the Victory Ride will benefit the EHCA special needs fund -- for things people need and cannot afford, or that insurance doesn't cover. Even more than the fundraising, the best part is that individuals from EHCA will have an opportunity to be involved with something they enjoy, just like you or I can every day.

Karyn LangdonHarborcreek

Benghazi answers

not satisfying

As a very young Marine, it was my honor and privilege to fire over the graves of Gen. George Patton's men buried in Tunis, Tunisia.

The dedication of this cemetery had a special meaning for me. My first sergeant in Naples, Italy, who fought the Japanese in the Pacific, had a brother who was buried there.

My brother-in-law, Neil Torrance, fought with Gen. Patton at the Battle of the Bulge. I did not learn this until a year before he died. I said, "You are a hero." His response was, "The heroes never came back. All I did was my job."

We, as American citizens, must ask -- no, demand -- of President Barack Obama and presidential wannabe Hillary Rodham Clinton the truth about the four Americans who were murdered on their watch (in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012).

Some people have called this incident a tragedy; others call it political. Benghazi is a national disgrace.

I urge you to write to your congressmen and senators to demand that they take whatever steps necessary to find out the truth.

William J. ScullyErie

Port projects

not appreciated

After a 20-year reign as the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority's director, Ray Schreckengost is finally retiring. I, as a taxpaying citizen, can only think that it is about time.

Parking at West 12th Street and Lincoln Avenue, Sassafras Pier with a hotel and convention center, a public library, the long struggle to gain control of the GAF property, are a few of the projects that make most individuals step back and take pause when it comes to the use of those valuable assets.

Perhaps the Port Authority can use the same wisdom utilized during negotiations with the Erie County Convention Center Authority, John Elliott and DevelopErie, and transfer the McAllister property to the Scott Enterprises project on the East Slip and let true entrepreneurs take our jewel into the future.

Richard WagnerErie

Catholics want

to live convictions

G. Wesley Bennett's guest voice article of July 12, titled "Government shouldn't impose religion," is an alien doctrine of the Catholic tradition and most Christian traditions.

The Catholic Church is not trying to impose the Catholic faith on the United States. It simply asks that Catholics, as individuals and as a church, be free to live out their religious conviction in private and public.

That means, for instance, that we cannot be expected to engage in acts that are intrinsically evil, like promoting contraception or abortion.

That is the meaning of religious liberty. It is freedom to live out one's faith consistent with the requirements of natural law, not freedom "from" religion. Nor is religious liberty the same as freedom to worship. The latter would confine religious liberty to what happens inside churches but also impose secularism upon us outside the setting of the church.

Dennis M. KudlakErie

We must be

open to change

Thinking for yourself doesn't require hard work but it does require a clear mind and an investigative spirit. Too often people put themselves in jail and look outside the bars for someone to blame.

For example: If you are suffering from a lack of meaningful employment, it might be a beneficial exercise to assess your training and experience and consider what you need to do to make yourself employable.

Read newspapers from different areas of the country or consider new occupations or education. Most people can adapt to improve their lives but it is hard to accomplish anything if you're not willing to change.

Same goes for people who spend their time reading or listening to only a few sources of information, which can lead to stagnation and an empty life routine. I am often surprised to discover that what I think isn't founded on knowledge but on partial information or third-hand rumor.

My bottom line is, keep your mind moving as well as your feet so that no one can step on you or keep you where they want you to be. Think for yourself.

Ray JonesErie

Photo coverage

of Roar event

questioned

Could someone within the managerial department of the Erie Times-News please provide the rationale for the publishing of a photo in the July 19 edition of a provocatively dressed 25-year-old female pouring an alcoholic beverage directly down the oral cavity of a 53-year-old, semi-recumbent male (Roar on the Shore coverage)?

The Times-News Editorial Board will often pontificate and disapprove on a wide range of community issues.

This raises the question if perhaps there may be an appropriate time for the editorial staff to police its own for incredibly poor judgment and taste.